TASI in Kolkata

TASI was honored to be present and associate with TASK to commemorate the first anniversary of this upcoming Kolkata outfit. Speaking on the occasion the Hon. Secretary of TASI – Ranjit Singh (Tony) applauded the wonderful effort put in by the organisers over the past 12 months. The path to community building is not easy, especially when the objective is not commercial in nature.

Drawing from personal experiences over the past 9 years of TASI’s growth, Ranjit encouraged the local artists to wholeheartedly extend support to this fledgling organisation so that it would be in a position to carry on its activities over the coming years. For any industry to flourish, he said, the community has to come together, it is now for the talent of Kolkata to decide whether they see any merit in joining and furthering a good cause that has a direct bearing on their future or choose to be complacent and aloof. Networking plays a big role in not only developing contacts but also encouraging new thinking. It is only when you share ideas that you encourage development. Lauding the efforts of the organisers, on behalf of TASI, he wished them the very best for the coming years. He also committed to open TASI’s library and make available, the enormous wealth of information that it has collected over the past decade, to TASK. We are there for you and will do whatever is required to ensure that you succeed in your efforts to build the community in Kolkata – e reassured the organisers.

Mr. Vijay Raut and Mr. Vaibhav Kumaresh (hon. Jt Secretary TASI) were the guest speakers for the event. Vijay took the first session and stressed on the importance of building fundamentals and the appreciation of art for students of animation. Technology is a means to an end, he reiterated. Only when you know the truth can you build on it. Practice daily and start by drawing simple forms. He explained that each of us can draw, at the very least, a circle, a triangle and a square. Through simple examples, he illustrated how these are the basic building blocks for any structure. He then showed the audience how to do this. Drawing a set of squares one under another, he constructed the human body in six simple steps. He then proceeded to fine tune the shape till it transformed into a realistic figure, much different from the stack of blocks he had started with. His explanations were simple, thorough and aimed to demystify drawing. It is not complicated at all, if you open up your mind and get rid of all the junk inside. The session was entertaining and finished with Vijay drawing a realistic portrait of A D Singh from the audience. After the realistic portrait was done, he then proceeded to make variations (CARICATURES) from the subject. In a sort period of 15 minutes he demonstrated why he placed so much stress on learning the basics. You can create a fantastic character only if you take the trouble to know it well – observation is the key. At the end of the session he introduced Mr. Sudhir. For those present at Anifest India 09, he is the same person who presented a short clip from Jurassic park and belted out the voice, sound and sfx for it. This time round though the clips were different but with the same mesmerising effect on the audience.

The session ended with AD Singh presenting both speakers with mementos on behalf of TASK as a gesture of thanks.

The next session was by Mr. Vaibhav Kumaresh who presented case studies on Simpu, Ooga Booga and Buladi. Three different mediums of classical animation, 3d animation and stop motion animation. Vaibhav began by showing images from his class 10 scrap book. His inspiration for Simpu was one of his teachers in school. He too stressed on the importance of sketching and regular practice and all his doodles from the past reinforced this view. Explaining the concept and execution of Simpu, he regaled the audience with anecdotes and instances that inspired many of the stories. Ooga Booga was the second case study, where he stressed upon the importance of planning and understanding the nuances of a different medium. He explained that since his team was new to the 3d medium, they turned to Tony to help them organise and streamline their entire production processes, thanks to his vast experience in the medium. This he explained was critical to the studio being able to successful complete these films. Accepting that you have a shortcoming and collecting the right team is very important in the beginning of a project. He then showed the extensive planning that they did on paper before actually commencing work in the digital domain. Taking a cue from Vijay, Vaibhav also scoffed at the idea that artists ignore the paper and pencil and begin working directly on computers without any planning. This should be avoided at all costs. He showed detailed floor plans, animation tests, model tests, references that they created as a part of the pre-production process. The last case study was on Buladi – a stop motion animation project. Very popular in Bengal, the films were greeted with a huge applause from the audience. Vaibhav showcased the entire pre-production of this project and explained why they laid so much stress on tests before deciding on the right medium for each film. He showed clips of the various stages in production and explained the finer points that had to be addressed at each stage.

On the whole both sessions were extremely informative and a real treat for those in attendance. Mr. Ranjit Singh was requested to present a token of appreciation to Mr. Kumaresh and Mr. Ramesh Ruia from TASK then presented a gift to Mr. Singh as well.

TASI enjoyed the Kolkata experience and promised to be back with more events soon with the active support of TASK.